BY DR. GLENN MOLLETTE
Rejection can be difficult to handle.
Perhaps an employer once said, “You no longer have a job here.” To be dismissed from your job would be painful, especially if you loved your job and wanted to stay.
Imagine a spouse or a boyfriend/girlfriend saying, “I don’t want to be with you anymore. Please leave me alone. I no longer want your company.” Something like that would most likely be very hurtful, especially if you loved the person dismissing you and were willing to do whatever it took to work it out.
The various scenarios of rejection can come from different levels of life. Children can reject parents, and parents reject children. People get rejected because of their politics, sexual orientation, skin color, background and much more.
Can you think of a hurtful instance in your life when you felt rejected by a group, church, community, employer, friend, loved one or other? If that has ever happened to you, then you haven’t forgotten how it made you feel. You were disappointed, hurt, probably angry, and maybe even bewildered by the rejection. You may have even been surprised by the rejection. Or, perhaps you saw it coming but tried to hold on to the position or the relationship.
It is obvious that Donald Trump loved being President of the United States. He loved the position, the influence, the power, the prestige, and the millions of adoring fans and supporters. He flourished and thrived personally as President of the United States. While others may have grown tired from the load of being POTUS, Trump seemed to thrive. He loved speaking to the massive crowds and still does.
Trump’s crowds and mega support may have led him to believe that being defeated by an aging Joe Biden was just impossible. In his mind, he was mentally set for another four years of White House living. When the vote went for Joe Biden, it was emotionally more than he could handle. He could not accept that enough votes had gone the other way. For a man who loved being president, the rejection by the majority of the American people was more than he could swallow when victory seemed so probable to him.
The hurt, pain and anger of rejection and losing something he loved so much muddied the mind of a president who truly had worked hard to shore up our military, veterans, border security, medical cost transparency and so much more. Sadly, rejection stings, and often, the way we react to rejection is rarely exemplary.
Trump messed up Jan. 6. The rioters and invaders of those who attacked the Capitol were wrong. The long silence of Trump may be the ongoing nightmare that could permanently lock the White House door that he would love to enter once again. Only time will tell. Republicans will most likely nominate him again, and Democrats fear another race between him and Joe Biden. Who knows yet what the future will bring?
The main point is this: If and when you get rejected, give yourself enough time to make a rational and clear response. Anger, hurt and disappointment are black clouds that always mire the mind. Take some time off. Get away for a while. Talk to reasonable thinking people who can see the big picture. Try to recover from the blow of rejection. Eventually, you’ll respond in such a way that won’t result in lifelong embarrassment.
Dr. Glenn Mollette is a graduate of numerous schools, including Georgetown College, Southern and Lexington Seminaries in Kentucky. He is the author of 13 books, including “Uncommon Sense,” “Grandpa’s Store,” “Minister’s Guidebook Insights from a Fellow Minister.” His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. Listen every weekday at 8:56 a.m. on XM radio 131, visit him online at glennmollette.com. “Grandpa’s Store” is a fun and adventure-filled story from the perspective of a child and young teen in the late 50s and early 70s, an era of simpler American small community life. Available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.